Automatic fence tightener and extension joint



Dec. 10, 1968 E. M. WILCOX 3,415,491

AUTOMATIC FENCE TIGHTENER AND EXTENSION JOINT Filed Oct. 51, 1967 INVENTOR I f E. WILCOX ATTORNEY United States Patent 0 3,415,491 AUTOMATIC FENCE TIGHTENER AND EXTENSION JOINT Ezra M. Wilcox, 221 Maplewood Lane, Nashville, Tenn. 37207 Filed Oct. 31, 1967, Scr. No. 679,339 4 Claims. (Cl. 256-39) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A fence line support including a post member having a channel on one side within which is disposed a clamp bar and between which the fence line passes. Nut and bolt assemblies connect the bar and post and include adjustable, yieldable spring means to provide a constant tension upon the fence line.

This invention relates generally to fence posts and, more particularly, to a fence post provided with an extensible joint including means to automatically retain the elements of a fence passing therethrough in a properly tightened condition.

In the maintenance of a fence line, it is desirable to provide means in association with the vertically disposed posts to permit the adjustment of the tension as applied to the fence wires. Prior known fence posts have been available which included means for regulating the tension as applied to a fence wire passing therethrough; however such devices have done little to reduce the labor involved in maintaining a fence line in proper condition, since they not only required proper adjustment at the time of installation, but also required constant attention during regular intervals to maintain the fence line in a properly taut condition.

A fence line may comprise one or more separate strands of horizontally positioned wires or a composite assembly of interwoven wire elements such as the well known chicken wire mesh. Regardless of the fence construction employed, the maintenance of a properly taut fence line is substantially influenced by the ambient temperature of the atmosphere. Any given fence installation will be affected by changes in the ambient temperature, not only from one period of a day to another, but also between the seasons of the year. The resultant expansion and contraction of the components of the fence line will, of course, be governed by the specific construction of the fence; that is, the material of the components and the gauge or size thereof. In the prior known devices providing for adjustment of the tension as applied by a fence post, it has been necessary to manually tighten the clamping means of each fence post as the components of the fence line expanded, such as would be the case during the spring or early summer months of the year.

The present invention obviates the necessity of the foregoing time-consuming operation by providing automatic means for tightening the fence line whereby a constant tension is applied to the components of the fence without any personal intervention.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved automatic fence tightener and extension joint.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fence post including a channel member having outwardly diverging flanges and a clamp bar disposed therebetween which is initially placed under a preselected tension.

A further object of the present invention isnto provide a fence post including a channel member and an adjustable clamp bar between which the wires of the fence line pass, which clamp bar is provided with adjustable 3,415,491 Patented Dec. 10, 1968 gneans to assure a constant tension upon the wires of the ence.

With these and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the fence line supporting assembly according to the present invention, and illustrates a fence line as installed.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the fence post as shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of the present invention.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing, more particularly FIG- URE l, the present invention will be seen to comprise a fence post generally designated P, including an elongated member adapted to be positioned within the ground for the purpose of supporting a fence line which is illustrated in this instance as comprising a plurality of substantially horizonally disposed fence wires 1. In the preferred embodiment, the post P comprises an elongated beam member which, when viewed in section as in FIG- URE 2, will be seen to resemble an exaggerated I-beam and includes a central web 2 and a pair of outermost end portions 3-3. Each of the end portions 3 comprises a pair of divergent flanges 44 which form, together with the adjacent exposed faces of the web 2 a recessed area or channel 5 having a transverse width substantially greater than its depth.

Adapted to be positioned within the channel 5 is a clamp bar 6 extending longitudinally thereof and having a width less than the transverse width of the web 2 of the post P, and having an axial length which is no greater than the overall length of the elongated post P projecting above the ground when the fence post is installed, as in FIGURE 1. As illustrated in the drawings, the clamp bar is made of flat metal stock. It is within the scope of the invention, however, to use a bar of channel or angle shape if desired. The clamp bar 6 is retained in position within the channel 5 of the post P by means of a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies. To provide for these assemblies, a corresponding number of bolt holes 7 are drilled through the central portion of the web 2 of the post P with a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the shank 8 of the selected bolt 9.

In assembling the clamp bar 6 to the post P, the bolts 9 preferably are inserted through the hole 7 from the rear face of the web 2 with a compression spring 10 disposed between the bolt head 11 and back of the web 2, as will be seen in FIGURE 2. The clamp bar 6, which has been provided with suitable openings 12, is installed over the free ends 13 of the bolts and retained thereupon by means of suitable nuts 14. Appropriate lock washers 15 may be applied between the nut 14 and clamp bar 6.

In a situation wherein a new fence line is being installed, the aforedescribed installation of the clamp bar 6 preferably takes place after the fence wires 1 have been stretched into overlying position adjacent the end portions 3-3 of the fence post P, and thereafter it will be seen that the subsequent tightening of the nuts 14 on each of the bolts 9 will produce a lateral deflection of the fence wire 1 to displace that portion of the wire 1 beneath the clamp bar 6 in a direction toward the bottom of the channel or into closer proximity to the web 2 of the post P, as will be seen in FIGURE 2, with a consequent increase in tension being applied to each of the fence wires 1 passing beneath the clamp bar 6.

The importance of the compression spring will now be readily apparent when it is considered that the tightening of the nuts 14 laterally displaces the clamp bar 6 toward the web 2 against the force of this compression spring 10, whereupon a balanced condition will, at all times, be present. In this manner, it will be understood that any expansion or elongation of any one of the fence wires 1 due to an increase in the ambient temperature or other force will result in an unbalance of the spring loaded nut and bolt assemblies, whereupon the bolt 9 nearest the fence wire 1 affected, will be axially displaced in the direction of the bolt head 11 due to further expansion of the subject compression spring 10 to cause further displacement of the clamp bar 6 portion most closely adjacent to that fence wire 1. Conversely, it will be seen that a contraction or increased tension upon any one of the fence wires 1 will serve to increase the axial tension upon the clamp bar 6 in a direction toward the free end 13 of the nearest bolt 9 due to a further compression of the juxtaposed compression spring 10.

The abovedescribed novel arrangement serves not only to maintain all of the fence wires 1 in a constant and substantially equally stretched condition from one fence post P to another during changes in the ambient temperature, but also will be seen to provide a safety valve in the case of an abnormal application of force to any one of the fence wires at a point between any two posts P, such as would be the case if a mechanized item of farm machinery were to accidentally be driven into the fence line. Heretofore, in such an instance, there was a great risk of breaking the fence line; however with the present in vention it will be seen that a shock absorbing action is achieved due to the compression springs 10 which will yield to an increase in tension upon any one of the fence wires 1.

Referring now to the embodiments illustrated in FIG- URES 4 and 5, it will be seen that the upright posts may comprise channel members P or P respectively. In the form illustrated in FIGURE 4, a post P includes a central web 16 and a pair of end portions comprising outwardly diverging flanges 1717 which provide therebetween a channel 18 similar to the channel 5 formed in the first described embodiment. The modification of FIG- URE 5 comprises a post P having a central web 19 and a pair of end portions comprising laterally projecting flanges 2020 which form a substantially rectangular channel 21 therebetween. To reduce friction and to prohibit cutting or binding of the wire 1 as it is drawn over the flanges 20-20 the outer free edges thereof are preferably rounded adjacent the channel 21 as shown in FIGURE 5. This same effect is achieved in the other two embodiments by the inherent nature of construction already provided in the construction of the post P and P.

The innermost surfaces of the flanges 4 and 17 will be seen to be disposed outwardly at a substantial angle from the perpendicular with respect to the face of the webs 2 and 16, respectively. By reason of this construction, it will be seen that the wire 1 as it passes over the outermost edge of the flanges will not be subjected to as sharp a cutting edge as would be apparent if the flanges were disposed perpendicular to the web of the post, and therefore there is less chance of the fence wire binding on this edge or being cut thereby, and accordingly, it will follow that the displacement of the fence wire axially toward the web of the post will be accomplished with much less resistance either by tightening of the nuts 14 or by reason of expansion of the compression springs 10, so that automatic operation of the thus described extension joint will be more readily insured.

I claim:

1. A fence line supporting assembly, comprising, an elongated post including a central web and two outer end portions, said web having a plurality of openings therein, said end portions including lateral flanges extending from at least one side of said post and forming a channel with said web, a plurality of headed bolts slidably disposed through the openings in said web, a longitudinal clamp bar provided with openings for receiving said bolts and disposed within said channel, nuts on the free ends of said bolts, spring means acting on one end of said bolts to constantly urge said clamp bar towards said web, said spring being captive between one end of said bolt and said web, whereby, a fence line positioned between said clamp bar and web may be adjustably tensioned by regulation of said nuts and thereafter automatically maintained under selected tension by means of said spring means.

2. A fence line supporting assembly according to claim 1, wherein, said spring means comprises a helical compression spring surrounding the shank of said bolt.

3. A fence line supporting assembly according to claim 2, wherein, said spring is disposed on the side of said web opposite that side which is juxtaposed said clamp bar.

4. A fence line supporting assembly according to claim 1, wherein, said lateral flanges diverge outwardly from said web.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 807,139 12/ 1905 Summerscales 256- X 811,022 1/1906 Young 25655 1,105,369 7/1914 Muller 25637 1,122,829 12/1914 Wernimont. 1,754,712 4/1930 Gartner 25654 3,350,066 10/1967 Cope 25647 X DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 256-054 

